Rail and bracket connection.



Patented May 6, I902.

J. H. LAWRENCE.

RAIL AND BRACKET CONNECTION.

'(No Model.)

Illlllllllllllllll UNITED STATES PATENT (intros.

JOHN H. LAWRENCE, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWIN F. LAWRENCE, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS.

RAIL AND BRACKET CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,195, dated May 6, 1902. Application filed February 14, 1902. Serial No. 94,091. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN H. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Sterling, in the county of Whiteside and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail and Bracket Connections, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for securing track-rails and the like to the supporting brackets therefor; and the object of the present improvement is to provide a simple and efficient construction of the parts whereby a strong and durable connection of the parts is attained in a ready and economical manner and with which a rail of a minimum height is left free at top and bottom for unobstructed track uses, all as will hereinafter more fully appear, and be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of the present invention, Figure 1 is a view illustrative of the present invention, in which the bracket member is shown in end elevation and the track member in transverse section; Fig. 2, a-fragmentary sectional perspective View of the parts in a disconnected condition; Fig. 3, a similar view of the parts in a connected condition; Fig. 4, a detail horizontal sectionat line a: m, Fig. 1, illustrating a modification of the present invention.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the supporting-bracket, which in my preferred form, as shown in the drawings, is formed from a piece of plate or bar metal bent upon itself, with the respective ends of such plate or bar bent at right angles to the body portion of the bracket to constitute-attachingears 2, by means of which the bracket can be secured in place upon a wall or other surface. With such construction the end formed by bending such plate or bar upon itself is adaptedfor engagement with the track or other rail of the present construction, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

3 represents a track or other rail of a usual cross-section, preferably the crucial shape shown in the drawings, and which rail is provided with orifices along its length and about eration of punching the orifice 5.

midway its height for engagement with the projecting ends of the brackets 1. In the present invention such attachment between the rail and the bracket is attained in a cheap and efficient manner by a construction of parts as follows: 1

at is a socket notch or recess formed at one side of the rail-engaging end of the bracket 1 and having a width equal to the thickness of the web of the rail.

5 is one of the before-mentioned orifices through the web of rail 3 of a shape corresponding with that of the rail-engaging end of the bracket 1 of length sufficient to admit of the insertion of such bracket end through such orifice, with the socket-notch iin alinement with the web of the rail. With such construction an independent longitudinal adjustment of one of said parts with relation to the other, so that the socket-notch 4 will engage with the web of the rail, as indicated in Fig. 3, after which disengagement of the parts in a reverse direction will be prevented by means of a key or filling-piece 6, secured in the rail-orifice 5 at the end of the same opposite to that at which the socket-notch 4 has engagement. Such key or filling-piece may be formed as a separate piece 6, as shown in Fig. 4, and upset or riveted in place. It is preferable, however, to form such filling-piece integral with the Web of the rail and in the form of tongue or lip 6, formed in manner well understood in the present art in the op- With such last-mentioned construction the tongue or lip 6 will set'to one side of the rail-web, as shown in Fig. 2, until after the parts are assembled together in proper relative position, and then hammered or set down to a level with the surface of the-rail-web, as illustrated in Fig. 8.

The present improved construction affords a very cheap and at the same time strong and durable attachment between the rail and bracket and admits of the lower portion of said rail being left unobstructed to permit of the use of a secondary or keeper-trackroller where such use is desired in any particular use of the present invention.

The crucial form of track shown in the drawings is preferred, where a very strong and rigid attachment is desired,in that one of the horizontal webs of the track-rail of such form can rest directly on top of the bracket and be supported thereon, so as to remove a greater portion of the downward stress upon the present means of attachment in actual use.

While my present improvement is specially adapted for use as a track for barn-door hangers, it is applicable to a number of other uses in the allied arts, and therefore the scope of the present invention is intended to cover such various uses of the present improved construction.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail and bracket connection, comprising a bracket end formed with a socket-recess at one side adapted for engagement with the web of the rail, a rail formed with an orifice corresponding with the end of the bracket and adapted to receive said bracket end, engagement ot' the rail and the socket-recess being had by an independent longitudinal adjustment of one of said parts, and means for locking the parts at such longitudinal adjustment, substantially as set forth.

2. A rail and bracket connection, comprising a bracket end formed With a socket-recess at one side adapted for engagement with the web of the rail, a rail formed with an orifice corresponding with the end of the bracket and adapted to receive said bracket end, ongagement of the rail and the socket-recess being bad by an independent longitudinal adjustment of one of said parts, and means for locking the parts at such longitudinal adjustment, the same comprising a fillingpiece inserted in the rail-orifice at the end of the same opposite to that at which the socketrecess has engagement, substantially as set forth.

3. A rail and bracket connection, comprising a bracket end formed with'a socket-recess at one side adapted for engagement with the web of the rail, arail formed with an orifice corresponding with the end of the bracket and adapted to receive said bracket end, en gagement of the rail and the socket-recess being had by an independent longitudinal adjustment of one of said parts, and means for locking the parts at such longitudinal adjustment, the same comprising a filling-piece or tongue formed integral with the rail-Web and adapted for engagement with the side of the bracket opposite to the side in which the socket-recess is formed, substantially as set forth.

4. A rail and bracket connection, comprising a bracket end formed with a socket-recess at one side adapted for engagement with the web of the rail, a rail having a crucial form and provided with an orifice immediately beneath the horizontal webs of such rail and adapted to receive the engaging end of the bracket, engagement of the rail and the socket-recess being had by an independent longitudinal adjustment of one of said parts, and means for locking the parts at such longitudinal adjustment, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Sterling, Illinois, this 11th day of January, 1902.

JOHN H. LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. FRAZER, NEVIN R. LOUX. 

